Love Knows No Boundaries
by Lindy the Long Haired
Summary: Trowa gets into an accident that costs him his life, leaving Quatre only one option- cryogenically freeze Trowa! Neither time nor the complications of freezing Trowa can keep them apart, until Heero comes back. Written: 2001.
1. Part 1

The year is AC 197…  
  
Quatre Raberba Winner stood before a mass of movement and confusion. Scientists and doctors were rushing about, hurrying to save the life of Trowa Barton. Strange solutions were being delivered each minute, and soon found their way into Trowa's body. They were putting Trowa into cryostasis, a last stab at keeping his body from shutting down. Quatre remained perfectly calm, despite the fact that the love of his life could die at any second.  
  
The blonde haired teenager looked down, his expression beginning to reveal the true inner feelings of his heart. Trowa meant the world to him, and he would gladly take his place if he could. Unfortunately, he couldn't, but there was one thing he could do. Scientists had been experimenting with cryogenics for years, and they had finally perfected the art. If they could freeze Trowa fast enough, there was a hope that he would survive. This is the one thing he could do, and luckily, he had the means to pay for it.  
  
As Quatre stood alone, watching the doctors try their hardest, a figure came up behind him. A hand reached out and gently laid itself on his shoulder. It caused Quatre to jump viciously, and he whirled around to see who dared to disturb him during such an important procedure.  
  
"Heero!" he cried, his facelighting up.  
  
The famed Heero Yuy stood before him, his hair longer and a bit shaggier, but he was still the same old Heero. His expression was that of indifference, no emotion showing through. Seeing an unchanged Heero caused Quatre to wonder what had happened to him over the past year, to keep him from turning into someone new.  
  
"Heero, what happened to you?" he asked.  
  
"Nothing," replied Heero.  
  
"That's exactly it!" exclaimed Quatre. "You haven't changed! After all that you went through during the Mariemaia incident, you should have come out a different person."  
  
"It takes more than a simple war to transform a soldier," he stated plainly.  
  
"Well at least you're alive and well…"  
  
Quatre's eyes began to fill with tears as he said those words. Heero's expression softened a bit, and he placed his hand back onto Quatre's shoulder.  
  
"I'm sorry, Quatre," he said. "I heard about Trowa. That's why I came."  
  
"Yes…" said Quatre. "It was a horrible explosion… just horrible…"  
  
He began to sob uncontrollably, leaving Heero in an uncomfortable position. Not quite sure of what to do, he put his arm around the Arabian. Quatre took full advantage of Heero's kindness, and buried his face into the Japanese pilot's chest. Heero looked around him; no one else seemed to notice Quatre's plight. In an attempt to get Quatre off of him, Heero tried to provide some comforting words.  
  
"It's ok, Quatre," he said. "They're putting him in cryostasis. They'll be able to fix him, you'll see."  
  
Quatre looked up, eyes wet with tears.  
  
"I thought you said you weren't changed," he said, a slight smile on his face.  
  
"So maybe I am. Does it really matter?"  
  
"Maybe not you," replied Quatre, "but it means something to the rest of us."  
  
"Hn," Heero responded.  
  
Quatre gave a laugh.  
  
"That's more like the Heero I know."  
  
There was a short pause. Quatre's eyes grew dark again, and he let go of Heero. He watched as Trowa was moved to another room where the final procedures would be done. As he watched, his arms fell to his side.  
  
"How long do you think it will take them to find out how to save him?" he asked Heero.  
  
"I don't know, Quatre. I just don't know."  
  
"I… I… I want to be there when it happens," said Quatre. "I want to be the first to see him."  
  
"Hmmm…" commented Heero. "Then you should go home."  
  
"What?" asked Quatre, surprised.  
  
"You should go home. No sense in standing here that long. They'll tell you when he's ready to come back."  
  
"But I…"  
  
"Go home!" yelled Heero.  
  
"Alright," said Quatre, "but will you at least come back with me? You can tell me what you've been up to, keep my mind off things…"  
  
"I really should be going," he replied. "This isn't the place for me. Maybe I'll stop by again sometime."  
  
"Ok," said Quatre, disappointed."At least make sure you see Duo and Wufei while you're at it. I'm sure they'd be happy to see you."  
  
"Sure," said Heero, walking away.  
  
"Goodbye, Heero!" called Quatre."See you around."  
  
With that, Quatre headed home.There really wasn't any sense in standing around waiting. Besides, there were many things he had to get to. The doctors would let him know everything, so he'd never be left wondering.  
  
Once home, Quatre sat down with a cup of tea. Tea always relaxed him and brightened his day. He chose a seat near the phone, although he knew it couldn't possibly ring until the next day. Trowa wouldn't be frozen until then. He sipped his tea. It didn't taste very good today, but that was due to the stress he's been under. Quatre set down his teacup and closed his eyes. A vision of Trowa flowed through his head.  
  
"Oh Trowa…" he said to no one. "Why did it have to happen to you? What if you die without knowing how much I love you?"  
  
Quatre quickly fell asleep, his mind tormented by Trowa's memory. The night passed slowly as Quatre had continuous nightmares of Trowa's accident. Finally, the dawn came. By now, his mind had grown quiet, allowing him to rest peacefully. The peace was interrupted as morning reached its end.  
  
RING!  
  
It was the phone. Quatre snapped awake in seconds, his hand reaching out for the old fashioned form of communication. He lifted the receiver to his head.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Hello Quatre!"  
  
It was a scientist.  
  
"Yes?" said Quatre impatiently.  
  
"Well, I'm afraid we have some bad news," said the scientist. "Trowa's body was too damaged to be frozen properly."  
  
"So, he's…. dead?"  
  
"No, not his mind at least. We were able to put him in neurosuspension. Basically, all we were able to save was his head. If we can find a suitable body for him, we can revive him. Until then, however, he'll…"  
  
"I understand," said Quatre.  
  
"Alright. Goodbye, then. We'll keep you updated."  
  
"Goodbye," said Quatre.  
  
He hung up the phone, his head hanging low. After a few moments, his head was in his hands, tears streaming from his eyes.  
  
"Oh, God, why?" he yelled. "WHY?"  
  
Quatre never got an answer to that question, and no new news was heard on Trowa for ten years.  



	2. Part 2

AC 207…  
  
Quatre stood in the hall of his house, Wufei standing close by. They were much different now, being ten years older. Wufei's hair had grown longer and thicker, and presently was not in a ponytail. Quatre had allowed his hair to grow longer as well, but only a little. His boyish features had melted away years ago, and now he was a very mature looking 27 year old. The house was cold and various items were tossed everywhere. It was nothing like the neat and tidy home that Quatre had bought so many years before. Quatre looked towards Wufei.  
  
"It's hard to believe that Duo's gone," he said.  
  
"Yeah," said Wufei. "I never thought that loud little idiot would die so young."  
  
"Poor Hilde," continued Quatre, "she was Duo's best friend. I wonder how she's taking it."  
  
"I think she'll be fine. She can handle herself pretty well, despite doing some things almost as stupid as Duo."  
  
"You know, you're not very sentimental about this whole ordeal," commented Quatre.  
"Sorry," replied Wufei. "I'm more worried about Heero."  
  
"Why Heero?"  
  
"He may not have openly admitted it," said Wufei, "but I know he was in love with Duo."  
  
"Heero and Duo? I never would have guessed. Gee, this will be really hard on him when he finds out."  
  
"Yeah, I'd hate to be there when he freaks out," said Wufei. "I hate to be rude, Quatre, but I have to catch the next flight out. I have a job to do."  
  
"I understand, Wufei. Come visit some time. You're always welcome here, and at all my other homes."  
  
"Thanks, Quatre," he said. "Goodbye."  
  
Wufei left, and Quatre was left alone with his thoughts. Another former Gundam pilot was dead… or at least dead as far as the world was concerned. One of the remaining three was nowhere to be found, and the other two had lives to live. At least that's what should be happening. Quatre's life fell apart after Trowa died, leaving him alone and miserable in his little rich boy's world. Lucky for him, his sisters took pity on him and supported him as he threw his life away. It was now that he decided to put things back together.  
  
"Duo…" he said quietly to himself, "rest in peace, old buddy."  
  
He smiled at what he had said. It was just like something Duo would say. He missed Duo; he had missed him for a while. He was sorry that he hadn't gone to visit him as much as he could have. No sense in lingering on the subject, though. Quatre sat down. He took a look around him and became disgusted.  
  
"Look at this place!" he exclaimed. "It's filthy! I need some servants in here right away!"  
  
RING!  
  
It was the phone. Quatre casually picked it up.  
  
"Hello?" Quatre said in a cheeryvoice.  
  
"Quatre! Great news!"  
  
Quatre's mouth dropped open. It was the scientist again. Did he have news on Trowa?  
  
"What? What news? Tell me!"  
  
"Calm down, Quatre. Let me speak."  
  
"Sorry," he replied.  
  
"Anyway, we've found a suitable body for Trowa. We've already begun the process. We would've contacted you sooner, but we had to start right away in order to keep the body alive and working."  
  
"You WHAT?" yelled Quatre into the phone. "He's going to live? My Trowa is going to live?"  
  
"Yes, yes, Quatre. However, there's something about the body you should know."  
"What, is it deformed or something?"  
  
"No, but I have a feeling you'll need to adjust to it. You see, the body is that of Duo Maxwell."  
  
"WHAT? OH MY GOD!" yelled Quatre. "You're not serious! It can't be!"  
  
"I'm afraid I'm very serious. When Duo died, Hilde gave us a call, remembering that Duo said he wanted to see Trowa alive again someday. She explained that he died of brain damage, and that his body was unharmed. Oddly enough, Duo's body is a very close match to Trowa's. As we speak, the brain is being transplanted."  
  
"So what you're telling me is that Trowa is going to come back as Duo?"  
  
"No, he's just going to be in Duo's body. He'll still be the same Trowa you knew ten years ago, he'll just look different."  
  
The news hit Quatre like a bag of bricks. Nothing could have prepared him for this. First, Trowa was taken away from him. Next, Duo died after an accident in a junkyard. Then they stick Trowa's brain into Duo's body. The world wasn't even ready for this.  
  
"Ok," said Quatre, trying to calm down.  
  
"Good, good. Come by in a week. Our new medical techniques will allow us to fully heal Trowa by then. Don't let it stress you out. I'm sure Trowa didn't want you to be upset about the whole incident."  
  
"Alright," responded Quatre."Goodbye."  
  
"Goodbye."  
  
He hung up the phone. This news would drive him insane until he finally got to see Trowa again. He decided he needed to contact some people. Wufei would want to hear about this, and so would Heero. Catherine missed him terribly. They all needed to know. Thus, the longest wait in history began.  
  
A week later…  
  
Quatre walked into the old cryogenics building. He was upset that Wufei and Catherine couldn't get in until next week. He wanted them to be there, too. Heero was unreachable as usual. He wandered down the old hallway he hadn't seen in ten years. He didn't know what to expect out of this. Duo would be what he saw, but Trowa would be who this creature was. That's what Trowa was now, a creature. He wasn't Trowa and he wasn't Duo. He was something in between, something eerie and slightly disturbing. Still, Quatre wanted it more than anything. He wanted to feel Trowa's arms around him again, he wanted to feel those soft lips.  
  
He entered the room where he was to meet Trowa again. As he entered, the doctors in the room greeted him.  
  
"Hello, Mr. Winner, welcome back."  
  
"Oh, Quatre, welcome! This is quite the exciting day!"  
  
Quatre looked around at all the familiar faces. They were the people who brought Trowa back to him. He smiled.  
  
"Hello, everyone."  
  
The head scientist came out from another room. As soon as he spotted Quatre, he motioned for him to come closer.  
  
"Come here, Quatre. You're about to meet the first person to survive cryostasis."  
  
Quatre held his breath. The anxiety was building inside him. He wanted this so badly, but he was still so afraid. He walked forward, following the scientist into the next room. It was poorly lighted, but a figure could be seen on a bed. It was tall and thin, with a long braid hanging from its head. It seemed lost in thought, but its attention was soon won. It turned, revealing the face, the face of Duo Maxwell. Quatre's mind was trying to put everything together, but this was just too awesome for his mind to grasp.  
  
"Quatre…" he said, shifting to the side.  
  
"Trowa?" Quatre squeaked, a ray of his former self shining through.  
  
"Oh, Quatre," said Trowa as he slipped off the bed, and then ran into Quatre's arms.  
  
"Trowa! Trowa, oh God, how I've missed you!" said Quatre. "I missed you so much. I love you, Trowa, I love you. Know that I love you."  
  
"Believe me, Quatre, I know. I've known since the day we met."  
  
Quatre's eyes were squeezed shut. He wanted to feel Trowa close to him forever. It didn't feel any different, holding Duo's body. Trowa's spirit took over what was Duo, and it never forgot how to touch someone. He opened his eyes. With them open, it all seemed different. He felt uncomfortable touching Duo's body, even though he knew it was Trowa inside. Slowly, he released Trowa.  
  
"Can he leave yet?" asked Quatre.  
  
"No, not yet," replied the scientist. "We have to make a public statement first. Something like this could create mass hysteria."  
  
"But… but I… I…"  
  
"If you'd like," the scientist continued, "you may stay in Trowa's quarters. There are two beds in there, and it is quite a lovely setting, really. Just like a bedroom."  
  
Quatre smiled.  
  
"That would be perfect."  
  
Trowa led Quatre to his room. It was a comfortable room, with two simple beds, a TV, and a bathroom. Trowa sat down on his bed, staring at Quatre. He smiled softly, and slightly seductively.  
  
"You know, Quatre," he said, "I'm not sure I can live like this."  
  
"Of course you can!" Quatre said, alarmed, but then realized Trowa's intentions.  
  
With a grin, Quatre kneeled in Trowa's lap. Gently, he pushed him down onto the bed. Trowa gladly obeyed.  
  
"Trowa," Quatre whispered, running his hands under Trowa's shirt, "I want this to be a night neither of us will forget."  
  
"Oh, don't worry," he responded.  



	3. Part 3

The sun rose early the next morning, much to Trowa and Quatre's dismay. They were both summoned to the waiting area, where a visitor was waiting. Quatre quickly put on his pants, followed by his shirt. He didn't bother with his shoes, they weren't required. Trowa followed suit and soon, they were off.  
  
Quatre entered the room first, and much to his surprise, there was Heero.  
  
"Heero!" he said. "You're here!"  
  
"Yes," he responded, "I heard that Trowa was revived. I came to see…"  
  
Trowa entered the room, forgetting what he looked like. Heero's eyes grew wide and his lower lip began to tremble. Trowa then realized what Heero was seeing, and tried to explain.  
  
"Heero, it's Trowa, not Duo. They used Duo's body for me… it's ok, Heero, calm down."  
  
"You… you… you're a, you're a freak!" yelled Heero.  
  
"Heero, it's alright," said Quatre. "I know this seems a little weird and all…"  
  
"How dare you take his body! That's his body! You have no right to use it as your own!"  
  
"Heero…"  
  
"Shut up, Quatre! I don't care how much you care about Trowa, he has no right to have that body! That's Duo's body!"  
  
"But Heero…"  
  
"I loved Duo more than anything!" yelled Heero. "He died without knowing that, and I'm not going to let you tarnish his memory like this!"  
  
Heero pulled out a gun and aimed it at Trowa. Quatre froze, unsure of what to do. Heero was about to blow Trowa away, after all he'd been through.  
  
"You don't deserve that body," said Heero. "It doesn't belong to you. Go join Duo in Hell!"  
  
Heero fired the gun. Trowa fell to the ground, blood spurting upwards. Quatre let out a horrible scream, fringed with pain. He fell over Trowa's dying body, and clutched at his chest. Behind him, Heero collapsed on the floor, sobbing. The perfect soldier had finally let go of his emotions. Quatre looked into Trowa's eyes.  
  
"Don't leave me, Trowa, not again. Please don't leave me, please don't leave me," he said, tears falling onto Trowa's face. "You can't, you can't! I love you, Trowa, I love you. Please don't go."  
  
"I'm sorry, Quatre," he whispered. "I'm sorry it had to end like this, but it's better this way. Heero's right, you know. I shouldn't have this body."  
  
"But Trowa, I…"  
  
"I know, Quatre, I know. And I love you, I'll always love you. Love knows no boundaries. This has proven it. Remember that, Quatre, remember that. Remember it all."  
  
Trowa coughed, blood oozing from the corner of his mouth. Quatre laid his head against his chest, feeling Trowa's presence one last time. Trowa reached out his hand, in search of Quatre's. Their hands intertwined, their last embrace. Quatre looked up and into Trowa's eyes for the last time.  
  
"I love you, Trowa… forever."  
  
Trowa smiled just before he died. His hand went limps in Quatre's, and his body grew cold. Quatre let out a wail that could make the dead roll over in their graves. His uncontrollable sobs could be heard throughout the building. Behind him, Heero had risen and moved closer to the fallen body. As Quatre buried his face once more, Heero kneeled beside him.  
  
"Duo…" he whispered, looking down at the dead body. "I love you."  
  
Heero closed his eyes, knowing that he was talking to the wrong person. That wasn't Duo before him, it was Trowa. Duo was gone, long gone. Heero looked up.  
  
"I know you're up there somewhere, Duo, not in Hell," he said. "I never believed in God, but if he's real, you're up there making him laugh."  
  
He smiled weakly.  
  
"Take care of Trowa for Quatre. I'll be good for you, Duo, so that I can join you up there someday."  
  
Quatre heard Heero's words between sobs. He looked up. Heero had changed. He was a human being now. Quatre smiled faintly. He understood what Heero did, and he accepted it.  
  
"Thank you, Heero," he said quietly, "and I love you, Trowa. Forever is forever."  



End file.
